Police in Texas town giving out gift cards for good driving

Eric Pfeiffer

Reporter

The SideshowDecember 19, 2011

The next time you're approached by a traffic cop, you shouldn't necessarily assume the worst. Or at least you shouldn't succumb to primal fears of traffic cops if you're driving in Prosper, Tex, where police have been handing out $10 gift cards to drivers they see wearing seat belts and staying within the speed limit.

"We wanted to give back to the community to reinforce those safe driving habits," Prosper assistant police chief Gary McHone told AOL Autos.

To be clear, the police officers aren't pulling over any motorists to notify them that they are obeying the law. Rather, officers on foot have been approaching driving in parking lots and other areas after noticing their good behavior. The police officers say they are going out of their way to not startle anyone.

"The old adage of 'protecting and serving'--it's a highly used phrase, but this is an opportunity for us to put a different twist to the 'serving' part of it," McHone said.

The department says it has funded 60 of the American Bank of Texas debit cards through its own contribution fund and from money raised at community events.